FIREWORKS: BLM enforcing ban with rising fire danger
Herald staff
The Bureau of Land Management says rangers are on patrol to enforce a fireworks ban on all BLM-managed public lands in Washington and Oregon.

Anyone who ignites or operates fireworks on BLM-managed lands can be fined up to $1,000, receive a prison term of up to one year, or both, according to the BLM. And individuals responsible for starting wildland fires on federal lands can be billed for the cost of fire suppression.

"With the Pacific Northwest’s trademark wet spring and warming temperatures of early summer, the grasses and shrubs grow quickly. This growth of grasses and shrubs translates to lots of fuel for wildfires," Ed Shepard, state director of Oregon/Washington BLM said in a statement.

"In anticipation of the upcoming 4th of July holiday, BLM rangers are actively patrolling the public lands to ensure that visitors have a safe and enjoyable vacation," he said.

The BLM manages 16 million acres of land in Oregon and Washington. The agency cooperates with the Pacific Northwest Wildfire Coordinating Group to fight wildland fires in the Pacific Northwest.